you need the cracks (to let the light shine through)
by king.needlemouse
Summary: For his birthday, all Sonic wants is a friend.


**so here's my contribution to the slew of birthday fics that's sure to overtake this website for the next 24 hours. enjoy, bc after this i won't be posting anything until i feel confident enough to start posting my upcoming multichap (which you can expect to come pretty soon hopefully!)**

 **keep in mind this fic is an au (a kinda bizarre one so hopefully y'all will like it and it won't be confusing dfdj) so pls don't attack me for 'inconsistencies' w/ canon.**

 **anyways, happy 27th bday sonic, and congrats to sega for owning my ass these past 7 years and sucking me into this insufferable fandom (jkjk ilu guys)**

 **no warnings this time! this is a pretty clean fic, but prepare yourselves for some angst and fluff!**

* * *

He loves running.

And, really, he's loved it his whole life, but now he just loves it so much more. Because he gets to run all the time, and he has no limitations. Papa can't tell him to get home by nine, can't tell him to stay in the neighborhood, to text him every hour. Now nobody can boss him around. And he _loves_ it.

He gets to run around barefoot, now. And he used to be scolded every time he did, even thoug he never saw the issue. The grass feels so tender and soft against the calloused soles of his feet, and he loves the sensation of his toes digging into the dirt with each graceful leap in his stride. He doesn't have to wear that stupid helmet anymore, either. He can get the full experience, of the wind tousling his quills and wrapping around his small figure. There's no tight hunk of plastic squeezing his temples anymore every time he wants to go on a run.

The amount of freedom he has is almost thrilling. He feels like one of those guys in the books Mama used to read him, that go on adventures and roam the wilderness and explore ancient temples.

(Plus, if he just focuses on the fun parts of living out here, he doesn't have to think about the _other_ parts of it.)

 _The other parts._ A frown settles on his face as he gets this ugly, sinking feeling in his gut and the bad thoughts start to seep into his head again.

Because as fun as it may be, the total freedom isn't all that great, honestly. He doesn't get tucked into bed anymore, or have savory, home-cooked meals every night for dinner. He doesn't get to play catch in the backyard with Papa, or play with the other schoolboys. He doesn't get to snuggle up in bed anymore, with a heavy quilt hugging him and a fluffy pillow to sink his head into.

He thinks the worst part, though, is that he doesn't get to see Mama and Papa anymore.

Truthfully, he doesn't really get it. He doesn't understand why everything happened the way it did. Why the bad people had to ruin it all. But he gets headaches when he thinks too hard about it, so he tries not to.

But when he ignores those thoughts, other bad thoughts come flooding in, despite his lack of hospitality for them.

He mostly just feels guilty. Because he gets hungry a whole lot (Mama always said he was a growing boy), and he doesn't have many options. It's not that he _wants_ to steal, it's just… He can't exactly let himself starve.

His stomach knots up uncomfortably as he approaches the stall. He's moved around quite a lot between the different towns that he frequents, nabbing goods from various farmer's markets to last himself a few more days. After a while everybody starts to recognize him, and it gets impossible to grab anything without getting caught, so he relocates.

There's this dreadful thought in the back of his head that, eventually, he'll be wanted all over, and he'll have nowhere else to go. He tries not to let that bother him too much, although the voice has certainly been getting more persistent lately.

But this place is new. The town is quaint, and it lacks any refined infrastructure, let alone paved roads. It's got market stalls lined along almost every street, each carrying its own unique set of goods. And, most importantly, nobody here knows him. Yet.

He squeezes past a few people to linger a few feet away from a particular stall, one that brandishes a few sweets and some loaves of bread. The lady at the stall is speaking with a customer, and he tries not to drool too much as he watches the shopper exchanges a couple rings for a delectable looking cookie. He can smell its sweet aroma from where he is, and he can see the chocolate chips oozing a bit from the pastry as the customer waves and heads off. He swallows thickly, turning back to the stall, as his heart becomes clenched in a sudden fear again.

The lady in the stall is rather large, though she looks very nice. She's some sort of bull, and her horns are small and stubby and she's wearing a pleasant smile on her face as she busies herself. He doesn't like this. It doesn't hurt as bad when they look mean.

He dawdles a little longer, waiting for her back to turn. After a moment when no other customers show themselves, she spins around to get something out of her basket, probably holding more pastries.

Luckily he's still short enough that he barely even appears over the counter. He begins to tread forward, his heart pounding in his ears, as he preps himself to swipe something off of the countertop. His sweat is soaking his fur uncomfortably.

He holds his breath, then, as he reaches up and grabs at something, and quickly pulls it back down, hugging the item tightly as he speed-walks away. He internally cringes when he realizes it's a loaf of bread. It'd a tad disappointing. He'd been hoping for a cake.

Too late now, he supposes, quickening his pace. He glances over to see the bull looking distraught, as she frantically scans over the counter, and then casts a scrutinizing gaze to the crowd of shoppers in the street. She briefly locks eyes with him, and it makes him nearly gag, but she doesn't seem to pay it any mind; just keeps looking.

He keeps his head low, and continues his frenzied gait until he's out of the settlement, and breaks into a run.

* * *

The hedgehog plops himself down in the silky grass, cradling his stolen bread possessively. His heart is still thundering in his ears, and he can't help the urge to check over his shoulder every few minutes.

It's foolish, really. He bolted the second he got out of the town, and with _his_ speed, he's probably hundreds of miles away now. The idea that he could have been followed is preposterous.

He still feels a little on edge, though.

The speedster sighs tiredly, calming himself a little. He eyes the bread in his hands, setting it down in front of him, frowning unsurely. The crust of the loaf is hard and a tad burnt, he notes, as he tries to tear off a piece. He pops it in his mouth, chewing slowly as he ponders the flavor. It's a bit savory, and distastefully chewy. He forces himself to down it regardless. His stomach is starting to cramp up; he doesn't have many options.

The sunset is pretty enough to detract from the gross bread, at least, he muses to himself. He loves the sunset, perhaps even more than running _(no, no, that's just_ ridiculous _)_. Sometimes he finds himself just ogling at it for minutes at a time, watching the sun slowly cascade across the sky, and paint gorgeous, amber hues across the teal canvas.

He finally gets himself to focus back on the bread, and the dejected feeling returns in the pit of his stomach. He really, really just wanted a cake. It's a special occasion, after all.

"Happy birthday, Sonic," he murmurs to himself, tracing a small number "10" into the dirt beside his fake cake, just as the sun sinks below the horizon and nightfall begins to crawl over Green Hill.

It's not technically his birthday yet, but he wants to get the celebration over now, so he has all of tomorrow to run around the world and enjoy himself. It'll be bittersweet, but he doesn't know how else he should spend the occasion.

Sonic gazes down at the grass he sits on, watching his shadow stretch further away into the darkness.

"Goodbye, Shadow-Guy!" he says in a small voice, as it fades away along with the sunlight.

Maybe it's a little foolish, but he likes to think of his shadow as his friend. It's always been the one thing that could keep up with him. Nothing else could. Not even the fastest kids in the schoolyard.

But his shadow? It was always running right alongside him. Never falling behind. It made him feel a little less alone, especially now, now that he didn't have Mama and Papa.

Briefly, the hedgehog recalls a few years ago, at maybe his seventh or eighth birthday, when he'd demanded to Mama that she served a cupcake to his shadow as well. He'd said that it must be getting hungry, what with all the running they always did. She had giggled at his words, strangely, before patting him on the head and placing a cupcake on the ground, just wear his shadow was sprawled across the patio. Oddly enough, it never ate it. He figured maybe it just didn't like chocolate.

There's a painful pang in his chest as he reminisces. He really, really misses Mama.

"… But I still have you!" the boy says aloud, cheerily, as he turns to look back at his shadow. He sags a bit when he realizes it's already gone though, swallowed by the darkness encompassing the fields.

Sonic flops back in the verdant grass, staring up at the moon dismally. There's this despairing feeling swirling around in his mind, as the sinking feeling that he's utterly alone hits harder and harder against him like a jackhammer.

He squeezes his eyes shut at the whimper that squeaks out of his throat and the tears that burn against his eyes.

The small hedgehog takes in a trembling breath.` "I wish…" he murmurs, "I wish I could have a friend, a best friend, who could run around the world with me." Sonic gives a little sniffle, scrunching his nose up at the mucus clogging his nostrils.

"… That's all I want for my birthday."

* * *

Green Hill is just the same as normal when he awakens. He can feel the warm sunrays hugging him gently, feel the cool breeze weaving through his quills, feel the soft grass against his back. It's familiar and adoring and he wouldn't trade it for the world. He loves waking up to this.

However, what's different, he notices, is the warm body clinging to his side.

Sonic grunts as he peels open his eyes, taking a moment to blink away the sleep. He has an urge to stretch his arms and give a big yawn, but the warm mass is hugging his left arm too tightly to so much as twitch his fingers.

The boy blinks with now very wide and very awake eyes, turning his head in horror to be met with ink black fur by his side. He tries wiggling away, but the body doesn't budge, so it doesn't accomplish much.

"Um," he stammers, poking the thing in bewilderment, "Uh, can you—could you please get off me, um, Mr. Guy-Thing?"

Sure enough, that seems to do the trick (sort of), as the body begins to shift and groan wearily at the sound of his voice. Sonic stays frozen in his place, watching the thing slowly stir awake with a cautious look in his emerald eyes.

Eventually its head un-burrows itself from his shoulder, and it peers up to face the newly aged ten-year-old. He's met with the equally young face of another boy hedgehog, though this one's eyes are a sparkling red hue, rather than his green.

They stare at each other in a brief moment of stalling shock, before the ebony hedgehog seems to come to his senses, and he yanks himself away in terror.

Sonic blinks at the other, sitting up on the palms of his hands now, as he gazes over at the other hedgehog, who's gasping for breath and looking around frantically like he's never been outdoors before.

"Uh, you alright dude?" the blue blur says, easing up a bit.

It's a little uncanny how similar this stranger looks compared to himself. Aside from the obsidian fur (with some pretty wicked red stripes in it, admittedly) and bright crimson eyes, he'd almost say they could be twins. Well, no, he notes upon closer inspection. This kid's quills are a little different too. The four on the sides of his head curve upwards, strangely enough.

The darker boy stares back at him like he's got two heads, which only puts Sonic off even more. What was this kid's deal?

Slowly, the azure hedgehog rises to his feet, stretching nonchalantly, but retaining his wary gaze. "Do ya' speak English, bro?"

The striped hedgehog blinks twice, eyes remarkably wide. After a moment's pause, he gives a tentative nod.

Sonic grins. "You sure about that?"

The other stands up as well, his hands clasped together and fidgeting. He's even got the same body shape, Sonic remarks internally, with the round, pudgy body and stubby limbs. For all he knew, this guy could be his brother!

His heart sinks a bit, however, when the black hedgehog says in a small voice, "… I'm not sure what's going on."

The speedster furrows his brows. "Whaddaya mean?"

"I mean…" the darker one continues, his voice heart-wrenchingly soft and innocent, "Where am I? A-And who are you?"

This elicits a cheeky smirk from the blue blur. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!" he exclaims robustly, jabbing a thumb into his chest. "And we're in Green Hill right now. It's super pretty here, huh?"

"I, uh… Yeah, I guess so," the striped boy says, looking around nervously.

Sonic frowns. "What's your name, dude?"

"… I don't know," comes the meek reply.

Squinting his eyes skeptically, the speedster glances down at his feet to consult his shadow for advice. He always figured his shadow was smarter than he was.

He's startled, however, to see he doesn't _have_ a shadow.

Frazzled, Sonic looks back up, scanning their surroundings. The sun is out, and he can definitely see that other things like the trees and bushes and woodland critters _definitely_ have their own shadows chasing them around. So what gives? What happened to his?

He looks back over at the weird kid, who's standing a bit self consciously, kicking his feet in the dirt and hugging his body. _He_ doesn't have a shadow either.

There's this sudden feeling of ecstasy that slaps Sonic in the face as the puzzle pieces click into place.

"You're my shadow!" Sonic declares gleefully, pointing to the other.

The sentient shadow-hedgehog-kid-thing falters. "What."

"You must be," the cobalt boy continues, a wide smile on his muzzle, "It makes sense! Neither of us have an actual shadow, and last night for my birthday wish, I wished I could have a real friend! One that could keep up with me! And—and," He's tripping over his words, bouncing on his feet, brimming with excitement, "And only _my shadow_ can keep up with me!"

"What."

"See," Sonic clarifies, approaching the other so they're face to face, "I can run super fast, like, crazy fast!" When the corporeal shadow continues to give him an utterly lost look, the speedster points over his shoulder to the rolling hills behind him. "Look, how 'bout this: If you can keep up with me out there, than that'll prove you are—um, I mean, you _were_ my shadow."

Shadow-Guy shows no change of heart, just an expression of complete confusion.

"This is a good thing, I promise! This means we can be best friends, and run around everywhere, and—oh, c'mon, let's just go run! I wanna see how fast you are!"

The newcomer has no chance to argue, as Sonic is already grabbing his wrist and pulling him forwards. They start running across Green Hill at a steady jog, though the striped one stumbles a bit at first from the mere shock of it all. Soon, they pick up the pace, and he finds Sonic is pulling him into a scarily fast sprint.

They start to surpass the point where they can't even see their own feet anymore, or distinguish their surroundings. The wind is whipping against their faces in lashes, and everything's blurry all around them. It's _terrifying,_ but also… thrilling?

Soon enough he feels Sonic's steel grip on his wrist release, and he's stunned to find he's still able to keep pace with the blue blur. He can't even see the azure hedgehog anymore, though he thinks he can make out a smudge of blue coasting alongside him. There's this fluttery, weightless sensation twirling in his stomach like he's just inhaled a cloud as they tear through the fields, and it's breathtaking.

He's so, so, _so_ confused about anything and everything that's happening, but this feeling, this feeling of his leg muscles burning as they pump a million times a second below him, and the buoyancy in his chest, and the wind lapping against him, is _amazing._

He lets out a loud _whoop_ as he throws his arms up into the air and closes his eyes against the harsh winds, letting the sensation swallow him whole.

And then it's all ended as an arm snakes around his middle and yanks him back, sending him and whatever grabbed him falling backwards.

He's greeted to Sonic's contagious laughter, who's still hugging his waist, kicking his legs in the air amusedly.

" _This is awesome!_ " the blue blur cries out, not caring about who heard him. Sonic withdraws from his hold, sitting on his knees and panting as the darker hedgehog gains his bearings again.

Sonic sighs, "Sorry about that. You were about to head into the forest, and you probably would've run into a tree or something if I didn't stop you."

"Um," the possibly-living-shadow mutters, rubbing his temples, "Uh, yeah, that's—that's fine. That was—"

"Amazing?"

"Amazing."

Sonic flops backwards into the grass, beaming up at the sky. "This is the best birthday ever," he says breathily, in utter awe, "You really are my shadow! You should'a _seen_ how fast you were running, it was as fast as—as, well, me!"

The blue hedgehog giggles a bit, before sitting back up. "So. You still need a name, huh?"

The red and black one shrugs. "Sure." He's still trying to process the idea that he used to be Sonic's _shadow,_ and he was now miraculously a real boy because of, of some silly birthday wish? Even worse, it kind of made sense. He had no memory of who he was or how he got here. What other explanation was there?

What a day.

Sonic purses his lips, oblivious to the darker one's inner musings. His face is scrunched up exaggeratedly as he thinks. "Well, it's nothing special, but how 'bout I just call ya' Shadow for now?"

He looks his magical friend up and down, a grin dawning on his face. "Yeah, y'know? It kinda suits you. Shadow the Hedgehog, mighty warrior, friend of Sonic, second fastest thing alive, the _Ultimate—_ "

"Shadow," the other boy whispers to himself, staring into his palms. He smiles, too. "I like it." He mimics what Sonic did prior, falling back into the grass. The blue blur does so as well, opposite of him, so their heads rest beside each other.

Sonic reaches up to the sky, panning out his hands dramatically. "Sonic and Shadow, the legendary heroes of Mobius," he announces, trying to deepen his voice as much as possible. His voice still has yet to drop at all, so it just sounds a little silly in Shadow's opinion. His voice is just as high-pitched as the other's, though, he supposes. If he really was Sonic's shadow, they must be the same age, too.

Shadow frowns. "Wait, you said today was your birthday?"

"Yep!" the speedster nods eagerly, gazing into bright ruby eyes. "I'm glad I get to spend it with you, Shads. I, uh… I don't really have anyone else to, anymore."

The ebony hedgehog's frown deepens. "What do you mean?"

Sonic's face falls a bit, and he struggles to find his words. "Ah, well, um. A while ago, these—these real bad people came to my house, and they—" he swallows thickly, and its then that Shadow notices how misty and distant his emerald eyes have become. "They hurt my Mama… really badly. A-And—"

"Sonic?"

"… Yeah?"

Shadow smiles gently at him. "We don't have to talk about this."

The blue blur nods, and he looks a little relieved. "Okay. Thanks."

A silence passes between the boys for a moment, before Sonic shoots up in sudden realization.

"Oh! You must be hungry!"

"Hungry?"

"Yeah," the birthday boy says, "It means you need to eat. Your stomach starts to hurt and feel empty." He pats his stomach with a longing look on his face. "I'm feelin' pretty hungry too. I only had some bread last night."

He helps Shadow onto his feet as well, and he receives a curt smile from his friend. "Then let's go eat."

* * *

Shadow takes the lead in their expedition, clearly eager to reach the town he was told about, with all the different people, and buildings, and food. Sonic doesn't sound particularly enthused as he describes it to his pal, which the sentient-shadow finds kind of absurd. And it only becomes more absurd when they finally reached the small city.

He's enthralled with it all: the bustling crowds that weave around the streets in congested packs, a commotion of footsteps and loud voices tailing right after them; the tantalizing aromas of all the meats, and fruits, and sweets at the various market stalls and shops wafting through the air; the various buildings, each unique shaped and sporting a distinct coat of paint, some with refined brick walls, and others with shabby oak foundations. It all just feels so… lively, and stunning.

Sonic, however, seems anxious to _leave._ He keeps scanning the crowds uneasily, and every now and then he'll glance over his shoulder to the way they came from, as if fantasizing about going back to Green Hill.

"So, how do we get the food?" Shadow asks, only giving half of his attention to his friend, the other half absorbed in the wonders of the grand settlement they wandered.

The blue blur grimaces. "Y'know, maybe, Shads, you should just wait here, and I can go—"

"No," the ebony hedgehog cuts in, firmly. "I want to go with you. This place is too nice to just sit in the corner and wait."

"But you can do that _another_ time," Sonic groans exasperatedly.

Shadow holds the other's hand, eliciting a flush of the speedster's cheeks. "C'mon, Sonic, please? I _am_ your shadow. I should follow you."

Casting a simmering gaze at the other, Sonic rolls his eyes, finally caving. "Geez, alright, fine. You can come."

He can't stifle the flutter of glee in his chest when the birthday boy proceeds to tug him along.

The boys push through the crowd, their short statures allowing for them to squeeze past the taller adults with much ease. It isn't long before they reach an intersection in the clogged up roads, and their fairly quick journey is cut short as Sonic stills unnaturally.

Shadow frowns, trying to spot what his companion is staring at. Whatever it is, it's caused the poor kid to freeze up like a deer in headlights, his skin pale and eyes wide in terror. But all the striped hedgehog can see is a few market stalls running along the sides of the streets. He thinks maybe Sonic's staring at some baker, who's maybe a cow or a bull or something, but he can't question it before he's pulled away and hustled down a different street.

"I think there's more stuff over here," Sonic murmurs, his look still pallor like he just saw a ghost. Shadow can't help but feel a stab of sympathy at the sight.

They shuffle down a new road, slightly less crowded than the others. There's a few market stalls that catch Shadow's interest, but he doesn't get much opportunity to go see them before he's pulled away by Sonic. It occurs to him after a moment that the blue blur's been trudging forward on this set path for a small while now, like he's entranced.

"Sonic? Sonic, where are you going?" Shadow questions, tugging urgently at his friend's shoulder.

The azure boy blinks, looking slightly out of his element. The pair turns to look up at a small building right before them, where Sonic seems to have subconsciously led them to. It's a bakery, and there's this sweet, buttery scent that's curling elegantly out of the window and through the crack below the doorway.

Shadow pauses, waiting for the other to do something. "… Do you want to go in there?"

"Um," Sonic chokes out, his ears folding back. He looks extremely uncomfortable, and if they weren't so hungry, the obsidian boy would have suggested they just leave. "N—Ah, no, it's fine."

"Are you alright?" the striped hedgehog then asks, lowering his tone.

He receives a stiff nod and a clipped "yep" in response.

"You sure you don't want to go in there? It smells good."

Sonic's stomach rumbles, and he stares down at it in betrayal. "Yeah, I know, I just—it'll be too expensive, I shouldn't have—I wasn't thinking, I just really wanted a birthday cake, but it's fine, we don't—" Azure quills bristle in sudden surprise. "Shadow! Wait!"

His cries are ignored as he watches his new friend head right into the bakery.

Disgruntled, Sonic jogs in after him, bowing his head low to keep a low profile and not draw any attention. He knows he'll be fine, that he's just being stupid, but there's still this lingering fear that someone will recognize him, and he'll get in trouble, and—

"Can I help you boys?"

The blue blur startles from his deep thoughts, finally taking in the scene around him. The bakery is rather cramped, but in a charming, homey sort of way. It's toasty inside, like the heat of the oven in the kitchen is radiating all around the building. Aside from himself and Shadow, it seems the only other occupant in the room is the baker himself, a lanky eagle.

Sonic can't help but let his gaze drift to the counter, suddenly having to stop himself from drooling at the sight of all the treats atop it. A creamy pecan pie, and a platter of fruity tarts, each with a little garnish on top. Croissants, perfectly flaky and bronzed, with a jar of homemade jam to partner them. And, and, _oh._ A perfect, delectable slice of cake, rich and chocolaty, with a thick blanket of frosting smeared across it. There's the most flawless looking strawberry perched right on top of it too, nested in a pillow of whipped cream.

The eagle seems to notice his captivation with the slice, grinning knowingly. "It's only three rings, you know. I'm sure you could go beg your mommy to spare a couple for you boys."

An icy feeling crawls across his body, and suddenly Sonic isn't drooling over the sweets. He's drowning in this overwhelming feeling of utter disappointment.

The blue blur shakes his head with a sad smile. "No, sir, it's fine. Sorry for bothering you."

He turns on his heel to head right out with the little pride he has left in him.

"Wait, mister, we would like the cake, we just don't have any rings."

The avian this vexed look set in his face at that, and he crosses his arms acrimoniously. "Well I'm afraid if you can't pay me, then you can't purchase anything."

Sonic whips around to see a defiant Shadow, still standing before the counter. His fists are balled up and his shoulders are hunched, and the sapphire hedgehog only needs one glance at the other's posture to know he is _not_ moving. That's exactly how the blue blur gets when he's being stubborn.

He tries anyway, futilely, to drag his friend away. "No, Shads, really it's fine, let's just go."

And yet Shadow persists. "No, you just want some cake. It's your birthday; you deserve it."

" _Shads._ "

The living anomaly pointedly ignores him, turning back to the irritated bird. Shadow gives a small, innocent smile for good measure. "Look, mister, please? We don't need much, it's just… We don't have money, and it's his birthday today. He doesn't have anything else, sir, he just wants a slice of cake for his birthday."

The baker narrows his eyes. "Can't your mother just make you one if you want it so bad?" he says, cuttingly.

Sonic freezes up at that, his stare going wide and icy cold. Shadow turns to look at his companion, but the boy is already too far lost into his thoughts. He can already see all the guilt and sorrow swirling around in his jade eyes.

In a newfound fury, Shadow turns back to the eagle, practically snarling. "He doesn't have one. He doesn't have _anything._ "

The bird's eyes soften marginally.

" _Please,_ sir."

"I—" the baker fights for words, looking past the boys uneasily, and checking over his shoulder. Reluctantly, he starts to reach under the counter, discreetly sliding a small plate over to the pair of hedgehogs. "Alright, just take it," he hisses, "And don't come back here, the last thing I need is my boss getting on my back for handing out free cakes."

Shadow's practically beaming. "Of course, mister."

With that, the black and red hedgehog grabs the plate with one hand, and Sonic's hand with the other, as he takes off out of the shock in a rush of joy.

The kids stumble out of the door, Shadow giggling in elation as he pulls the birthday boy along, the latter strangely quiet. The ebony hedgehog almost questions it, but the town is so noisy and cluttered it's nearly impossible to stop and hold a conversation, so he waits till they reach Green Hill again.

* * *

Sonic blinks widely as they find their way running back onto the signature plush and verdant grass of Green Hill. They make their way to a palm tree before settling down against it and placing the dish between themselves, taking a moment to catch their breaths before anything else.

After they're comfortable and not gasping for air, Shadow peers over to his new pal with a curious look on his face. "Aren't you excited?" he asks in bafflement, "I thought you wanted cake."

The blue blur shakes his head, his eyes still a little wide and distant. "No, no, um. Thank you for that," he says, flashing a fragile smile. "I just. Really. That meant a lot to me, what you did back there."

"Oh," the dark hedgehog finds himself saying, dumbly. He swallows and rephrases, "You're welcome."

With that, Sonic looks back down at the chocolate treat sat between them, and plucks a fork from the plate, already digging it in. He takes a bite, and almost melts on the spot. It's so perfectly sugary, the flavors dynamic and sweet and rich, the cake light and fluffy and the frosting thick and velvety. He hums in delight, taking another moment to savor its perfection before going for another bite.

Shadow seems vaguely amused at his reaction, before trying some himself and just about dying from how good the cake tastes, too.

There's a long silence that passes between them, before they finally finish the slice. Both boys lean back against the tree trunk, patting their bellies satisfactorily.

"Happy birthday, Sonic," Shadow mutters, in a sugar-rush haze.

Sonic smiles warmly, leaning against his friend's side and letting his eyes fall shut. "Thanks," he says back, and seems to falter, like he's debating what to say next. He begins after a moment with slight hesitation. "… You know, I think this birthday has been my favorite one yet."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," the azure hedgehog grins, "There's a couple others that came close. One time my Mama and Papa just took me to a park, and we had a picnic to celebrate. It was really… nice. But I think all my other parties we just invited over a couple boys from school and had cupcakes. Those weren't too special."

Shadow frowns, like he doesn't understand. "But they _were_ special. They were your birthdays."

The blue blur shakes his head. "It's not the birthday part that wasn't special. I just mean how we celebrated. It was too boring. I just wanted to spend time with my parents." His eyes go a little distant again as he stares up at the clouds. "Y'know, my Papa always made me wear a helmet if I wanted to run? And I barely got to run around much, anyways. He thought it was too dangerous."

"Really?" Shadow laughs a little, almost in disbelief.

But then Sonic's face falls a little, and he just looks so _devastated_ beneath his candy smile. "Funny thing is, I'd never run again if it meant I could get him back. If I could get them both back."

Shadow squeezes his wrist in comfort. "I'm sorry."

Sonic continues, like he can't hear, "I used to get so mad at him. I'd sneak out at night just to run laps around the city. I'd refuse to wear the helmet just in spite of him. I'd lock myself in my room if he didn't let me outside certain days."

The sapphire boy sniffles, and it's then that Shadow realizes his eyes are super watery and red. In consolation, he hugs his friend loosely, leaning his head on his shoulder.

"I shouldn't have gotten so mad," Sonic whimpers, and he's shaking a bit now. "I shouldn't've—They were trying. A lot of my birthday parties were kinda lame, and they were always so strict about letting me run, but… They were trying. They were trying their best.

"I just feel so bad. And so lonely. Maybe if I was faster, maybe I could have helped them, or—"

"Sonic."

The birthday boy stills, and wipes his eyes. "Yeah?"

"Please don't cry," Shadow says, softly, "Not on your birthday."

Sonic laughs wetly, and sniffles again. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."

"It's okay."

For a few moments, all they hear is the gentle breeze twirling through the blades of grass and beating against the fronds of the palm trees.

"I wasn't lying, though," the blue blur starts again, his voice more level this time. He sounds fond. "This is my favorite birthday I've ever had. Because I met you."

This warm, fuzzy feeling is tickling Shadow's stomach.

"And," Sonic continues with a wide grin, "I turned ten. I'm basically a grown-up now!"

Shadow smiles. "Yeah. Hey Sonic?"

"Hm?"

"I like this birthday too. Because I met you."

Sonic's brain stalls for a second, and he blinks slowly. "Oh. Um. Thanks, Shads."

The boys scoot a little closer together in their embrace, leaning into each other. They watch the sunset till they can't keep their eyes open anymore.

* * *

When Sonic wakes up the next day, Shadow is nowhere to be seen, despite everywhere he looks and how loudly he calls out to him.

And when he stares down at his feet, he sees his shadow has returned, stretched out against the grass, a constant at his side.

* * *

 **aah hopefully y'all enjoyed this? hdksfs i still don't really know if this is any good or not but uh idk. for some reason when i decided to make a bday fic, my brain decided to make this mess where shadow is literally a heckin shadow and he's sonic's imaginary friend? lmao**

 **also sry they're kinda ooc (esp shadow). but just keep in mind (1) they're kids and (2) this is an au.**

 **((oh, also? this isn't really supposed to be sonadow unless u wanna squint. like it's kinda there, but they're literally 10 so i didn't wanna make it weird))**

 **anyways ik this was kinda strange but it was fun to write and a nice break from my project. speaking of which! as i said before, you can possibly anticipate me to start posting that sorta soon,,? no promises but yeah get pumped for that cos i sure am!**

 **r &r :)**


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